Hughes proud of City pursuit
16 Jul 2008 - 13:10:32
Manager Mark Hughes has revealed his disappointment but claims Manchester City could not have done any more to sign Ronaldinho after he opted to join AC Milan.
The Citizens are believed to have tabled a £22.5million bid with Barcelona for Ronaldinho, but the Brazil international has decided to join the Italian side.
Ambitious owner Thaksin Shinawatra had reportedly offered a greater transfer fee and financial package to the 28-year-old than was on the table from Milan.
"We have presented our case as well as we possibly could and the fact that we are in there trying to get one of the top players in the world shows our ambition and where we want to go," Hughes told the Manchester Evening News.
Meanwhile after seeing the club's main summer target snub a move to Eastlands, Hughes is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to potential new signings.
Hughes has been linked with a double swoop on former club Blackburn Rovers to sign veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel and England midfielder David Bentley in recent days.
He added: "There is plenty of speculation about which players we may or may not go for.
"Obviously, I am being linked with players that I know and possibly have worked with before and then there are others that agents are trying to move on and place.
"There is a lot of that going on at the moment. It is not my way to divulge who were are going after.
"I will keep them under wraps in case someone jumps in at the last moment, but there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes."